Have you ever met drive-by networkers? These are the people who you see networking online once in a blue moon. When they network, they really network. They spend an entire day or two visiting different online networks, making a splash, creating a flurry of activity, chatting with people and then disappearing from the networking radar until the next blue moon makes its appearance.

Drive-by networkers become active in networking when they have a lull in business. Naturally, they come to the startling realization that they need to do some business development. They jump into networking full force, and spend a day (or two, or three) networking online non-stop. Then they get bored or get a call from a client or decide to use alternate business development strategies and disappear until the next time business is slow. Sounds familiar?

Being a drive-by networker is a complete waste of time and resources for a variety of reasons:

* When you network once every few months, no one remembers you. Every time you come to the same online network, you have to spend the time re-introducing yourself, instead of jumping right into networking.

Starting with an introduction is starting from zero trust. This is a neutral, rather than a positive, networking position. People who network a lot on a consistent basis are trusted more and have built up significant trust equity.

* The best way to gain leads and clients while networking is to be accepted as an expert in your field. You must have a public track record in the field before you can be considered an expert. People generally have a hard time remembering your track record if they can barely recall who you are.

* A drive-by networker spends days at a time networking. As useful as networking is, this get very boring very fast. This is reflected in drive-by networker's posts: they show no signs of life and are incredibly dull. This is only natural -- imagine spending a few days doing exactly the same thing over and over again.

Reading boring posts is not fun, so after a while people start quietly ignoring drive-by networker's boring posts.

As you can see, being a drive-by networker is pointless. It wastes your time and does not generate positive results (that is, sales and leads for your business). So, what should you do to avoid being a drive-by networker? Get ahead in online networking by using these three tips:

* Network consistently by setting aside time every week to network. This way you don't have to be a drive-by networker and introduce yourself every time you are networking, starting from zero all over again. Instead, every time you network, you build on all of your previous networking experience.

* Keep your name in front of the people you have networked with by inviting them to subscribe to your newsletter. Getting them on your newsletter list ensures that you will stay in touch even if you are not networking on a regular basis.

* Have fun networking. Answer other people's questions, post your observations, and share articles. Energy and excitement are contagious. Strive to get others excited about what you do!

Remember, don't be a drive-by networker. Strive to be a consistent, energetic networker with a purpose!